Cyprus-U.S. relations have, in recent years, gained new depth, new momentum and new prospects, and that progress continues, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Wednesday after a working lunch in Nicosia with a bipartisan delegation of professional staff members from the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
In a post on X, Letymbiotis noted that the Cyprus-U.S. relations were at the heart of this working lunch with a bipartisan delegation of professional staff members from the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
‘The Strategic Dialogue, our strengthened defense cooperation, growing investment and expanding economic ties are more than milestones in a relationship that is advancing. They are the foundation for what more we can achieve together’, he said. ‘We also have important steps ahead, with the Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act and ITAR capable of giving even greater depth and long-term perspective to our strategic partnership,’ he added.
He noted that they also discussed about the Cyprus Issue and ‘a reunified Cyprus that would not only unlock the full potential of our country but could also serve as an even stronger pillar of security, stability and cooperation in a region where all three are needed more than ever’. Noting that the strong bipartisan support Nicosia enjoys in Congress ‘is invaluable’, he said that the progress already achieved ‘shows how far we have come’, while that ‘the opportunities ahead show how much further we can still go.’
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.